Time for #DEVDiscuss β right here on DEV π
Inspired by @catalinpit's Top 7 post, tonightβs topic is... AI Coding Tools!
Questions:
- What are the most significant benefits of using AI coding tools? Drawbacks?
- How do you see AI coding tools evolving over the next few years?
- What advice would you give to those who are hesitant to use AI coding tools?
- Any triumphs, fails, or other stories you'd like to share on this topic?
Top comments (6)
Yes! Use them. If you don't use them, other developers will. AI won't replace jobs fully, but developers using AI will replace developers not using AI.
Remember, every technological advancement has its skeptics. It's always a balance between embracing the new while understanding its implications. With a cautious and informed approach, you can make the most of AI coding tools while navigating potential pitfalls.
Sometimes I think about the disadvantage in the following scenario: Imagine a junior developer coding with Copilot and having all the help it offers, he would write the code and solve the problem and probably the degree of learning would not be much, considering that the code would already be demonstrated to him with Copilot, the junior developer would not even bother to understand the code and see what each piece means, probably.
Did a small experiment on this topic and wrote a blog on prompt engineering. "Mastering the art of asking the right question is a skill that often comes hand in hand with experience on the job"
Use AI tool to supplement your knowledge and skills. These tools are here to stay, will boost the productivity. AI tool by itself will not generate a prod ready code, code will work, but as a skilled developer, you need to refine it to ensure appropriate exceptions are handled, logs are added etc.
As an old developer with years of experience, these tools can boost your work up to 100x, but as a new developer, using these tools will make you lazy and you won't be learning anything.